Growing Up
by Ivoryrain
Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety.
1. Chapter 1: The Defender

**Hi! I got an idea for a fic from someone elses title. It will be nothing like their story. I know no one will be too mad at me for starting one fic before finishing another, because I'm pretty sure that very few people have read my Crescent Moon fic. First chapter is supposed to be juvenile, so don't review thinking the whole story will be like this. Just the first chapter or so.**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. IXK, MXS, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up.**

Kagome had been in first grade for a week or so, and she liked it. There was no naptime in first grade, but they learned a lot more than in kindergarten. And she had made a friend already! His name was Hojo, and all the girls liked to play with him. Some of the boys resented him, but Kagome always stood up for him when the bullies came. She was one to stand up for what she believed in. Kagome was a very willful and headstrong girl, but she had a more developed sense of right and wrong than most of her classmates. So it came as no surprise that she would stand up against bullies for just about anyone, even people she didn't like too much.

One day when Kagome was on the swings with Hojo, they saw a long black car drive up in front of the school. Out of it climbed a man with long silver hair pulled into a ponytail, with two silver haired boys coming out right behind him. The man and his oldest son, who looked like he would be in the third grade both had pointed demon ears. The younger son, who was dressed in a red kimono, had triangular shaped ears sticking out of the top of his head. All three went into the school.

"Hojo, did you see that?" Kagome asked him, still swinging back and forth.

"Yeah, who do you think that was?" Hojo wondered.

"I don't know, but it looks like we've got some new kids in the school." Kagome told him.

They continued swinging, and after a while the door from their classroom to the playground opened. It was strange, because the bell hadn't rung and it wasn't supposed to for a while. All eyes were on the door and the small figure in a red kimono being pushed out of it. It was strange to hear the playground so quiet. Kagome swore she heard crickets chirping. And she was positive she saw a tumbleweed blow between the new kid and the group of demon children approaching him.

Inuyasha didn't like the atmosphere at the playground. Everyone continued to do what they were doing, but at the same time, all eyes were on him. The kids swinging, the ones dumping sand in each other's pants, everyone was watching! He knew why. A group of demon children were approaching him with menacing looks on their faces.

"Hello, half-breed. Why are you coming out here, where you don't belong? Everyone here is either a human or a demon. So why don't you just go back to wherever you came from? Then I won't have to make you eat a knuckle sandwich." one of the more human looking demons said to him.

"Leave me alone." Inuyasha said, biting his lip and trying not to cry.

"I guess you're hungry for that sandwich of mine, huh? Fine, here it comes!" the boy demon said as he raised his fist.

Kagome watched as they approached him. The boy in front, Hiten, was standing right next to his twin, Manten. Kagome had dealt with them before. They had the biggest reputation on the playground for being bullies. Kagome had problems facing them with out them getting violent and forcing her to defend herself and whomever she was standing up for. So she watched closely, looking for hints of trouble.

Hiten said something to the little boy in red, and the boy had a hurt look on his face as he answered back. Suddenly Hiten's fist was in the air. Seeing that there was trouble, Kagome jumped out of her swing while it was swinging back and landed on the ground, face first. She jumped up without noticing her injuries and ran over the blacktop to stop Hiten from hurting the new kid.

She put herself in between Hiten and the new boy who was looking very shocked and said, "Leave him alone Hiten you bully!"

Inuyasha was stunned that someone had come to his defense. "Even you shouldn't waste your time with him Kagome. He's a dirty half-breed." the boy who was apparently named Hiten said.

Great. Now, since he told one of the few people who wouldn't know by smelling him that he was a half-demon, Inuyasha would have another black eye to explain to his father when the girl would inevitably step aside to let the boy hit him. To his great surprise, she stayed where she was.

"I really don't see how that matters. What did he do to deserve getting hit?" Kagome asked Hiten and his brother while the crew of demon children behind they muttered angrily.

At this, Hiten and his brother looked at each other. "It doesn't matter, we don't need a reason to hit a mutt like him."

Inuyasha's ears slumped and a single tear ran down his face. He was glad that no one could see him since the Kagome girl had her back to him, and she blocked him from everyone else's view.

"If you don't have any reason to hit him, that means you have every reason to leave him alone." Kagome retorted, grabbing the boy's hand and pulling him back towards the swings, leaving the demons trying to figure out what she had said to them.

When they reached the swings, everyone had gone back to paying attention to their own business and Hojo was out of his swing and waiting for Kagome. "Kagome, I'm going to play with Emi in the sand box, okay?" Hojo told her before he rushed off waving.

"Okay." she called back. She understood. Hojo was every girl's best friend, so no one could expect to hang out with him for the whole recess. "You can take Hojo's swing then, okay?" Kagome told him, sitting in her swing and gesturing to another.

"Okay." Inuyasha said, sitting in the swing and wondering why she stood up for him.

"My name is Kagome, what's your name?" she asked him.

"Inuyasha." he replied, still looking shocked.

"Are you okay? You look scared still. Don't worry about those bullies, I won't let them do anything bad to you." Kagome assured him.

"Why did you…" Inuyasha started to ask before the bell cut him off.

"Uh-oh. We have to go line up now. You can ask me tomorrow at recess." Kagome said as she pulled him towards the door he had first come out of where all the kids were lining up.

The rest of the day passed by without many events. Inuyasha got his own desk, thought it was not close to Kagome's desk. They had reading time, and math time, and eventually they got to go home. Kagome waved at him before grabbing her backpack and running out the door.

"Wait, I wanted to know-Darn it!" Inuyasha said, stamping his foot in anger. He decided to get his backpack and leave as well, before someone tried to start another fight.

Meanwhile, someone who had been listening in the cubby room thought up a plan to get back at Kagome and Inuyasha.

**Well, first chappie is done, and the second is raring to go. I might even post it the same day as the first chapter. Review please, but don't get mad because it's all childish now. The second chapter will probably be the last one before we do a time skip. Unless I'm struck with inspiration for more gradeschool antics. But yeah, review and tell me what you thought, and what I could do to improve it.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Fight

**Okay, I at least started this on the same day I put up the first chapter. Let's see if I can finish it without my mom commanding me to clean a box out of my closet. Five seconds after I typed that she came in and yelled at me about it. Weird…oh well, hope you like.**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. IXK, MXS, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up.**

* * *

The next day, when Inuyasha went outside for the morning recess, he had two things waiting for him. One was Kagome. The other was the crowd of jeering demon kids from the day before. Kagome, catching sight of him, waved and smiled as he approached her. That made the crowd of demons laugh. Kagome rolled her eyes. As yesterday, all eyes on the playground were glued to them. 

"Look, here comes Kagome's half-breed boyfriend!" Manten shouted.

Upon hearing this, Inuyasha looked confused and embarrassed. He stood next to Kagome, hoping that she would say something since this was not his area of expertise.

"You guys are so lame. Are you so stupid that you forgot already? You tried this same trick when I first stood up for Hojo. It's gotten old already, get some original ideas for once." Kagome suggested coolly, walking to the swings. Inuyasha followed her. There was some laughter around the playground at the demons' expense. And again, people went about their own business as normal.

"Thanks again. What was that about?" Inuyasha wondered. They sat in the swings without swinging.

"When they don't hurt me physically, they feel the need to retaliate in another way." Kagome explained. "Oh, and what were you going to ask me yesterday?"

"Why did you stand up for me?" he asked her.

"Why wouldn't I? They were picking on you for you being who you are, which is worse than picking on you for no reason." Kagome told him.

"No one has ever stood up for me like that. Hmm, since you protected me from those guys, I'll protect you too." Inuyasha promised.

"If you could have fought the Thunder Brothers, why didn't you?" Kagome asked.

"Uh, well I probably can't beat them now, but I'll get stronger. Someday, I'll find a way to become a full demon." Inuyasha told her.

"Well Inuyasha, I think you and me will be good friends for a long time." Kagome told him bluntly.

Inuyasha's eyes lit up and his ears were pointed and alert. "You really think so? I've never had a friend before."

"I know so. And why don't you have any friends?" Kagome wondered, looking sad for him.

"I'm a half-demon. Demons look down on me because they think they're better than I am. And most humans don't trust me because of my demon side." Inuyasha explained.

"We are better than you are." A voice from behind them said. It was Hiten. He punched Inuyasha in the face and an audible "Ooooo" was heard from the children on the playground.

Kagome tried to intervene, but Manten stopped her while Inuyasha took Hiten on all alone. "It's time for the mutt to fight for himself."

"So, you want to fight? Fine. I'll show you. I can fight you, and I will win!" Inuyasha said boldly, although he looked like an animal trapped in a corner with no place to go.

They started to fight, and it looked like Hiten was going to win, until Manten pushed Kagome and she fell and scraped her knee. Inuyasha was furious, and he was literally seeing red. His eyes had changed from their normal amber color to red eyes that had a hard look in them. Hiten looked surprised but continued. Inuyasha now had the upper hand, his demon instincts were kicking in, and he was beating Hiten black and blue. When Manten left Kagome to save his twin, Inuyasha beat him up too.

With them both incapacitated, his eyes returned to their original golden color. Everyone on the playground was staring at him in awe. Including… "Kagome! Are you alright?" Inuyasha asked, running to see.

"I'm fine, but Inuyasha, what just happened to you?" Kagome wondered.

"I'm not sure, but I think it has to do with my sword. My dad seemed worried when the principal told me that I couldn't carry it around with me at school." Inuyasha informed her.

There were shouts, and it seemed that one of the teachers had finally noticed that the Thunder Brothers were on the ground covered in bruises. "Someone get the nurse!" the teacher shouted, running out of the door. One of the faster demons sped away in a blur. "Who did this to them!" the teacher demanded in an angry I-mean-business tone.

Everyone on the playground except Kagome pointed to Inuyasha. "Kagome, Inuyasha, I want to see you both in the principal's office!" the teacher told them.

"But I was the one that did it, not Kagome!" Inuyasha objected.

"Kagome, do you know anything about this?" the teacher asked her in a slightly gentler tone.

"Yes mam." Kagome responded.

"At least you're honest. Come on, let's get this sorted out." she said, taking them both and bringing them inside, just in time to see the nurse run out to get the Thunder Brothers and bring them inside.

As they were walking to the principal's office, Kagome looked afraid. It was the first time he had seen her afraid, and he felt really bad knowing that he was the reason she was in trouble and therefore the reason that she was afraid.

When they got into the principal's office, the teacher left them alone with the principal after explaining why they were brought there.

"Kagome, will you tell me what you saw happen?" the principal asked her in a kind tone.

"Well, it started yesterday when Inuyasha first came here. The Thunder Brothers tried to bully him, but I stopped them, and then today when we went out to recess, they started teasing us. We ignored them and walked away but Hiten came up to the swings and punched Inuyasha in the face. I tried to stop Hiten but Manten blocked me off. Inuyasha had no choice but to defend himself. I'm not sure what happened to him then, but he was winning against Hiten and when Manten tried to hurt him, he beat him too." Kagome told the principal.

"Hmm, it seems like the Thunder Brothers made you feel as if you or those you love were in grave danger. Just like he said. I suppose I should have listened to you father." the principal admitted with a sigh.

"What did my father say about me?" Inuyasha asked anxiously.

"He said that as a half-demon, if you or anyone you loved was in danger, your demon side would take over to ensure your survival. He said that the sword Tetsusaiga was the only thing that could stop your transformation. I guess you can carry your sword if you don't use it and try harder to stay out of trouble like that." the principal decided.

Inuyasha looked surprised. "That's why my father gave me the Tetsusaiga?"

"Apparently." Kagome said.

"You guys can go back to class now. Try to stay out of trouble." The principal reminded them.

They started walking down the hallway, and Inuyasha said, "Thanks for sticking up for me."

"I'm your friend. It's what friends do." Kagome assured him.

* * *

That night, at Inuyasha's house there was an interesting discussion happening at the dinner table. 

"So, you saved your new girlfriend and defeated the Thunder Brothers! Their father is one of my big competitors. Now there's something I can brag about! Good job son." Inuyasha's father congratulated him.

"Dad, I told you already, she isn't my girlfriend!" Inuyasha said, his cheeks burning.

"While that may be true Father, I have a feeling from Inuyasha's actions that he wants her to be, and she probably will be some day. Also, I heard that he was rescued by her yesterday from the same people he defeated today." Sesshomaru informed their father.

"Oh, well I guess that's acceptable as long as you know how to defend yourself and your future girlfriend." Inuyasha's father said with a sigh.

"Sesshomaru, shut up! What do you know about anything! She's just a friend!" Inuyasha shouted, turning red as a cherry.

Sesshomaru laughed. "If you don't like her, why are you getting so defensive and blushing so much?"

Inuyasha tried to answer, "Because I…She…that is-Oh, forget it!"

**That's all for that chapter. Next chapter explains what happened up until they went into highschool and their first day as freshmen. Review, and give suggestions for improvement. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Meeting

**Yeah! I finished the second chapter and posted it the same day I posted the first one. I'm glad some people liked it! Oh, BTW, they will be in most of each other's classes along with Sango and Miroku, but at least I admit that isn't normal in most schools.**

**Extra disclaimer: I don't own Staples. I also bet that there aren't any Staples in Japan, but bear with me please.**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up.**

* * *

Just as Kagome thought, her and Inuyasha were friends all through grade school. Even when Kagome started to become a bit more timid, and Inuyasha started to become a bit bolder and cockier, they were still friends. 

Soon after the fight with the Thunder Brothers, Kagome was invited to Inuyasha's house and she learned that his father was one of the biggest corporate executives in all of Japan. She wasn't sure why he acted so strange and said strange things that made Inuyasha blush until she got older. Once she was older she realized that Inuyasha's father had been hinting about her and Inuyasha dating.

They never really had any more friends until their freshman year of highschool. Their highschool made groups of people have classes together, believing it would foster friendship and promote group study. So Kagome and Inuyasha were hardly able to believe it when they got their schedules and they had almost all of their classes together. (That is, until later when Inuyasha discovered that his dad had made a donation to the school in order to keep them together. He decided not to tell Kagome about his father's meddling.)

Kagome decided to take Sota and go shopping for school supplies at the Staples next to the mall. She loved school and wanted to get really cool pens and notebooks for all her classes. Down the aisle from her was a girl with long black hair pulled into a ponytail. She was shopping with a boy who looked a year younger than her who had short black hair pulled into a single small pigtail.

"Hi, are you getting ready for school too?" the girl asked when she saw Kagome looking.

"Yeah, my name is Kagome and this is Sota." Kagome introduced herself and her brother.

"I'm Sango and this is my younger brother Kohaku." Sango said. Sota and Kohaku immediately escaped their sisters and went to talk.

"Well now that they're gone, what grade are you going to be in?" Kagome asked, looking relieved that her brother had left.

"I'm going to be a 9th grader at the new highschool they just built." Sango replied.

"Me too. You have any friends that you know who are going there too?" Kagome inquired.

"Well, I'm not sure if I would call him a friend, but I know a guy who's going. Oh, who am I kidding, he's the only friend I've got!" Sango admitted with a sigh.

"Yeah, I have only one friend too. And of course, he's a guy." Kagome told her.

"You and me could be friends. I've never had a friend that's a girl before." Sango informed her.

"That's a good idea. And we could introduce our guy friends to each other so they aren't lonely." Kagome suggested.

"Good idea. Oh, it'll be so good to have someone to talk to besides that lecher!" Sango said with a refreshed sigh.

"You had to be friends with a lecher, you poor thing!" Kagome said with pity.

"Well, his name is Miroku Houshi, and he isn't that bad once you get to know him. But it is depressing that the only person who can stand to be around you is constantly trying to grab your butt. It makes me feel like he's my friend for only that reason. Also, I'm always having to smack him for that, and I'm worried that one day it'll be too much and he'll just leave." Sango revealed.

"Oh, don't worry Sango. Now that we're friends, you won't be alone anymore." Kagome assured her. Then her eyes lit up. "Wait, did you say Miroku Houshi?"

"Yes, why?" Sango wondered, looking puzzled.

Kagome pulled a neatly folded piece of paper out of her purse, unfolded it and read it. "Oh, awesome! You, Inuyasha, Miroku, and me are going to have most of our classes together! That is, provided that your last name is Taijiya."

"Yes. My family and me are demon hunters. You know, rouge demons, not the kind you meet on the street." Sango told her new friend.

"That's cool. My family and me are shrine keepers. I'm a miko myself." Kagome disclosed to her friend. She had discovered that she had spiritual abilities while helping her grandfather around the shrine. One of his sealing spells actually worked, but Kagome could tell that her grandfather had nothing to do with it. It was a rare ability and Kagome knew she would be in danger if the wrong person or demon found out.

"Wow, I thought that they only existed in the Feudal Era!" Sango burst out. Then she put her hands over her mouth and looked embarrassed. "Sorry. Don't worry, I can keep a secret."

"So, sis, did you get your supplies? Kohaku and I found these really cool pencils that glow in the dark!" Sota said as he walked back to her, carrying all his supplies. Kagome did get them because while they were talking she had been picking out notebooks and folders with the same design so she could tell which one was for which subject. She had also gotten all the colors of the rainbow in pens and a few highlighters and all the other school stuff. She liked school supplies.

"Okay Sota, get in the checkout line and I'll be there in a second. Here is my home phone number Sango. Call me later tonight, okay? Bye!" Kagome said, giving her a small piece of paper with her number on it before she rushed off after her brother.

**

* * *

Sorry, I know that I said this would have their first day of highschool, but I decided to make another chapter out of that. Also everyone wanted me to update soon, so I figured it'd be best if I put what I did have up. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You make me feel warm and happy inside! (Don't take that in a bad way.)**


	4. Chapter 4: The Phone Calls

**I'm so happy I can barely breath! Puppy dogs and sugar frogs, and kitten's baby teeth. I've been listening to the Happy Song by Liam Lynch a little too much. But yeah, thanks to all my reviewers! And a special shout out to celestialmoon1! I never thought I would be on someone's favorite's list! (BTW: For some who might not have noticed, Kagome is very intelligent. She'll probably help Inuyasha from failing.)**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up.**

* * *

On the phone that night, Sango and Kagome agreed to drag their friends to the statue in front of the school really early so they could get to know each other. They thought it was a wonderful idea since they would be in most of each others classes. Inuyasha and Miroku had different feelings.

* * *

Kagome's phone conversation with Inuyasha: 

"What the hell man!" Inuyasha demanded, outraged at being required to do something without having a say.

"We should really get to know them so we have friends before we go in and start a whole new kind of schooling!" Kagome insisted.

"I have you! Your friendship is enough for me!" Inuyasha persisted.

Kagome had a small smile on her face as she said, "While that is incredibly sweet Inuyasha, don't you ever wish you had a guy friend that you could talk about guy stuff with?"

"Well, sometimes, but I still think that…well, Kagome, you're different from everyone else. What makes you so sure that they're different too?" Inuyasha asked her with a slight tone of anxiety in his voice.

"_Oh!_ Is that what all this is about? You being a half-demon and afraid they won't accept you?" Kagome confronted the problem head on.

"Well, that and the fact that you agreed to meet at school at 7:00 when school starts at 8:00!" Inuyasha said, trying to dodge the subject.

"I'm sure Sango won't care, and if Miroku tries to say you're bad, just point out what a pervert he is." Kagome suggested helpfully. "And if they both won't accept you, then we won't hang out with them is all. I value your friendship too much to ever throw it away."

That really hit home. While he was still worried, Inuyasha felt much better when he remembered that he would always have Kagome. "All right. I'm going to wear my red haori, so I'll be pretty hard to miss." he told her.

"Is it the one that's a bigger version of what you wore in first grade? You always looked so cute in that!" Kagome informed him with a small giggle.

Inuyasha blushed. "Yes, but please make sure you're there before I am. I couldn't start a conversation if my life depended on it."

"As long as you know that and can admit to it. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" Kagome said.

"Bye!"

* * *

Sango's phone conversation with Miroku: 

"Sango how could you!" Miroku pleaded with her.

"Miroku, it's not that I don't want to be your friend, it's just that I think it would be healthier if we both had more friends. Don't you want someone who at least won't slap you when you make your gross sexist guy jokes?" Sango asked.

"Yes, but Sango, I won't have you all to myself anymore! I swear, I'm no good at sharing with other people!" Miroku insisted.

"You'll have to learn my dear lecher, because you're going to meet Kagome and her friend Inuyasha by the statue in front of the school tomorrow at 7:00 sharp! If I don't see you there then I might actually try to find a portable torture device for the next time you misbehave." Sango threatened, sounding like she was trying to keep a dog in line with an electric shock collar.

"I suppose I have no choice in the matter. And I would do anything for you my dear Sango!" Miroku proclaimed in his best dramatic voice.

"I'll take that as meaning you'll be there. Good night!" Sango said with a yawn.

"Good night, and enjoy your sweet fantasies about me!" Miroku told her.

"Ugh! Good night and good bye Houshi!" Sango shouted, slamming the phone onto the receiver.

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt!" Miroku said, pathetically ignoring the brush off.

**

* * *

Tell me what you thought! Sorry about this not being their first day of highschool, but I wanted to have you get an idea of what was going to happen. Next chapter should be the first day, but with I can't assure it. It's 70/30 chance with first day as 70 and 30 as a chapter full of thoughts about their feelings towards each other. Or something like that. But as always, I love reviews and welcome suggestions for improvement! Also, sorry about Miroku's lame joke at the end. I couldn't think of anything else.**


	5. Chapter 5: Thoughts of Past and Future

**Okay, you're probably ready to rip my head off, but please refrain. I wanted to give a base for the next chapter, so I wanted to put what went through everyone's head when they hung up the phone. I feel bad about delaying their first day more, but I'm at least posting something in the meantime.**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up.**

* * *

Inuyasha hung up the phone with a sigh and lay flat on his back on his bed. He didn't want more friends! Kagome was the only friend he could justify asking for. He probably didn't even deserve her. Kagome was a wonderful person, and the first person in his life outside of his family to accept him. 

He was not even a full-blooded demon, and sometimes he wasn't sure he would always be able to protect her. And ever since he told her about his ambitions to become a full demon, she had been endlessly supportive of his dream, and put her vast intellect to use in researching the proper method of transformation.

When they were younger, she only had story books to read, so they spent their time looking for magical lamps with genies inside, elves, evil warlocks, and other things that filled the books of their childhood. Which was fun and all when they were in gradeschool, but now they should try to find an actual method that was feasible.

Inuyasha pictured Kagome in his mind. Tall, long beautiful black hair, very pretty face, and those dazzling chocolate brown eyes she had! Wait! Inuyasha sat up suddenly. He had never thought of Kagome like _that_ before! What was going on? He tried not to let his mind wander or he would have no room to talk tomorrow if he had to yell at that pervert he was going to meet.

* * *

Kagome shook her head. Inuyasha would never change. At least not mentally or spiritually. He'd always be a child in her eyes. Although…she hadn't seen him all summer and he had said that he had a growth spurt. Kagome couldn't imagine what Inuyasha would look like grown-up and mature. She supposed she would find out tomorrow.

* * *

Sango was steamed. Everytime she thought she was getting past the lech and getting through to Miroku, he would make a comment or grab her butt and she would be back to square one. 

They had known each other throughout their whole lives. Their mothers had met in the maternity ward and became friends. Later, they forced Sango and Miroku to become playmates to ensure their children's friendship. Sango was even beginning to suspect that there might be an arranged marriage hiding behind it all.

Shaking herself from those dreadful thoughts, Sango went to bed thinking how nice it would be to have another friend, a female one who could relate to her.

* * *

Miroku laughed quietly to himself. He had plans to win the heart of his dearest Sango. They weren't exactly finalized, but they were in the final stages. She had been his friend since the beginning, but even when he was young he had wanted more with her. He went to sleep with dreams of becoming her boyfriend in his head. 

**

* * *

Okay, that was short but hopefully sweet. Actually this has been my shortest chapter so far. Next chapter is their first day, _I promise!_ This was a short interlude to say a little more about the relationships between Kagome and Inuyasha and between Sango and Miroku. I'll get to work on the next chapter as soon as I post this one. Don't forget to tell me what you thought! Constructive criticism is always appreciated. (BTW, it occurred to me that not everyone knows the meaning of the word feasible. So I'll just simply say that it's a synonym to possible.)**


	6. Chapter 6: The First Day

**First day is here! No angry mobs so far, so that's good. I've been listening to the Happy Song too much again. I am really happy, I'm sugar coated me! Happy good, anger bad that's my philosophy! Sorry about the delay, but I've been doing actual summer things like swimming and going to Holiday World (The Zoombabwe or whatever broke right when we got to the top and got ready to go on it! An entire hour, lost, wasted, and gone forever!) and riding four-wheelers at my friend's house. She has a trailer for it and six of us rode and Erin and Stephanie-san fell off. Abbey almost got her drawing hand crushed. But enough of my summer adventures, and more of my fanfic.**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up. Probably won't though.**

Kagome mother wished her a good day before driving off. She could see Sota in the back seat making faces at her before they drove out of the parking lot and turned a corner.

She shook her head and walked towards the statue. Two people were sitting there, when one suddenly slapped the other. Kagome had a feeling that her first day at highschool would be a strange one if nothing else. And she also had the feeling that she was being watched.

When she reached the statue, Sango jumped up and said, "Boy, am I glad to see you!" Sango had worn a tight sleeveless shirt with a gold symbol in the top right hand corner and a pair of black jeans with lots of pockets and a pair of black boot shoes with white laces. The boot shoes looked kind of heavy and Kagome would bet it would hurt to be kicked by them.

The boy holding a hand to the red mark on his face, Miroku, was wearing a pair of loose, but not hopelessly baggy, jeans and a purple T-shirt. Sango pulled Kagome over to him and introduced them. "Kagome, this is my perverted friend Miroku. Miroku, this is Kagome."

Miroku seized the opportunity and held both of Kagome's hands in his own as he asked her, "Would you do me the honor of bearing my children?"

Suddenly the tree above the statue was shaking. A red blur inserted itself between Miroku and Kagome a second later. "Hey! That's my friend you're talking to! And if I ever hear you ask Kagome that again I'll tear off your-" Inuyasha started to threaten before Sango cut him off.

"He usually says it once to every girl when he meets her." Sango informed him.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted with joy as she turned him around for a hug. She noticed that he had grown, and he was considerably more built than the last time she had seen him.

Inuyasha was surprised to find that Kagome had physically matured a lot over the summer. But he tried very hard not to think about that since that would lead to no where good. And why was he thinking about it in the first place!

"Sango, Miroku, this is my friend Inuyasha. He's half dog demon." Kagome told them.

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Sango. That's Miroku, and I think our day might go better if he didn't speak for himself too much today." Sango suggested.

"From what I've heard so far, I'd say you are entirely correct." Inuyasha agreed.

Miroku started to make a disagreeing noise, but Sango silenced him with a finger on his lips. "Don't say anything. You have much more going for you with muteness." she promised him.

They talked for a while after that, excluding Miroku other than the occasional outburst or comment, just about school and who had what classes when. It turns out that they only had two classes each that didn't include all four of them. And the girl's schedules were identical, as were the boy's.

People started to show up to wait for the school doors to open after they had been talking a while. Kagome was surprised that she knew some of the people she saw.

Sesshomaru passed by without a word. Kagome waved, and he at least waved back. Kagome was one of the few people who Sesshomaru could tolerate. But as soon as Kagome had her back turned to talk to Sango, Sesshomaru gave Inuyasha a knowing smile. Inuyasha replied with a threatening growl.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome wondered.

"Nothing. Why do you like my brother? He was sent from the darkest realms just to torture me, and you are one of the few people to successfully make friends with the guy!" Inuyasha fumed.

"Your brother loves you, and deep down you love him too. You just don't want to admit it, and neither does he." Kagome replied.

"I'd love to kill the guy, I'll say that much. Why do you-" Inuyasha grumbled. The bell interrupted his complaining.

"Well, I'll see you guys in Biology! I have to get to my locker!" Kagome shouted before she rushed off. Inuyasha was next to her within two seconds. "I can never shake you, you're too fast."

"My locker is right next to yours Kagome, so you can walk with me." he replied smugly.

"Okay, I'd like that anyway." Kagome said simply.

They walked together to their lockers, and neither missed the looks they were both getting. "You never seen a half-demon or a pretty girl before!" Inuyasha asked them, annoyed.

That made people look away and pretend that they hadn't been looking. Kagome blushed. "You think I'm pretty Inuyasha?" she asked in an offhand manner.

Inuyasha looked embarrassed and looked away, avoiding her questioning look. They reached their lockers and put their folders and school stuff in and shut them. Neither noticed the one demon that had continued to watch Kagome after Inuyasha shouted. He was a few lockers down from them, and he was wearing armor with fur. He had long black hair pulled into a ponytail, and a distinctly wolfish gleam in his eye.

Kagome and Inuyasha reached Biology and sat next to each other. Sango and Miroku were already there so they sat behind them. Before class even began, Sango pulled out a notebook and started to write a short note to Kagome. She tossed it lightly over her shoulder and Kagome unfolded it.

'Have you ever noticed how nosy boys get when you start to write a note or try to pass one?'

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and Miroku peering over at her and smiled. 'Well, I have now. Why do I have a feeling that we'll be passing many more notes before the day is through?'

Sango opened it and had a mischievous smile on her face. 'Because you have befriended the most avid note passer in all Japan! Congratulations!'

Kagome shook her head with a smile and noticed that class had started. They were told to choose lab tables and wait for further instructions. Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Kagome all went to the lab table that was closest to the chicken egg incubator. Mr. Myoga, the Biology teacher, decided to call roll so he could mark their lab table grouping. Then he passed their textbooks out to them.

The rest of class went by without many incidents, and when it was over, they all went to their lockers and headed to English. When they got in their classroom, they noticed that their teacher was a short green toadish demon. He was probably an imp of some sort. His name was Mr. Jaken.

Inuyasha looked at their English teacher with a strange expression on his face. "Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked as she waved a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah, it's just that. Well, I think our teacher used to work for my dad." Inuyasha explained. "I wonder what he's doing here?"

He had no further time to wonder, because just then the bell rang and they were all asked to be seated. He sat in back of Kagome and Miroku sat in front of her, much to Sango's annoyance. Sango "humph"ed and sat behind Inuyasha since all the seats around Kagome had been taken.

Apparently, most of the boys in school thought Kagome was quite a catch, and tried very hard to get a seat close to hers. They were all staring, no practically drooling over her! Inuyasha was less than happy. You could say he was furious, but that would be a huge understatement.

Inuyasha looked over at all of them and let out a low territorial growl. That made some of the demons stop, but all the humans were still staring. They didn't understand territory. Not what it meant to demons, nor what they would do to maintain it.

Of course, Kagome missed the stares and Inuyasha's growl because she was paying attention to the teacher. Inuyasha found it hard to believe, since the teacher was boring him to death. But then again, Kagome had always been very bright and intelligent, even in grade school, where most people avoided intelligence like the plague. And Kagome had loved learning as long as Inuyasha had known her.

Kagome had worn a tight tiny white tank top that showed her stomach underneath an open purple button up shirt. To go with it, she wore an extremely short dark jean skirt, and soon Inuyasha found himself staring at Kagome as shamelessly as everyone else. That is, until Sango gave him a note for him to pass to Kagome.

Kagome felt Inuyasha press a note into her shoulder to get her attention. She discreetly reached over her shoulder and took it from him. When she opened it, it said, "Are you not noticing the stares you are getting from all the guys! Even Inuyasha's mouth is almost hanging open!"

When she read the last part, Kagome felt extremely warm and uncomfortable. She ignored her uneasiness and wrote back, "No, I've been trying to learn. And I find it hard to believe that Inuyasha would stare at me. Sango, we've been friends forever, and he's never stared at me before!"

When Sango read this, she sighed. Kagome was so oblivious. She started to furiously scribble her response.

Kagome read Sango's reply. "Well, I know what I'm looking at, and I'm watching Inuyasha gawk at you. The only person looking at you as intensely as Inuyasha is Koga, the leader of the wolf demons. I can point him out to you later, but they both look like they've had a spell put on them."

Kagome just shook her head disbelievingly at Sango. Before she could write an answer, the bell rang. She packed up the books that had passed out for the class for the rest of the year and said, "We'll see you boys in History! Have fun in your Art class!" before she pulled Sango to the gym for their P.E. class.

Their P.E. teacher was named Ms. Kagura and she told them to have fourteen dollars tomorrow to buy their uniforms. Since they couldn't exercise without uniforms, they were given the rest of the period to socialize. Before Sango could start talking about what they were passing notes about the previous hour, a boy with a long ponytail approached Kagome.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met. My name's Koga, and yours is…" Koga asked as he introduced himself.

"I'm Kagome and this is Sango." Kagome told him, shaking his hand.

"Oh yes, I know Sango." he said mysteriously. "But anyway, I couldn't help but notice your spiritual power and I was wondering-"

Kagome's eyes widened in fear. "Okay, I'm a miko, but don't kill me! I didn't do anything!" she cried as she held up her hands and backed away.

"Whoa hold on, I'm not going to hurt you!" Koga assured her as he pulled her hands into his own and patted them reassuringly.

"How did you know she was a miko Koga?" Sango wondered.

"I have a sixth sense for danger, and mikos are naturally dangerous to demons." Koga explained. "Anyway, I was wondering if you had ever used your spiritual powers or if you even knew. But if you're a miko, then my question is already answered."

Meanwhile in Art… 

"Miroku, you have got to be the most perverted person I have ever met!" Inuyasha declared as he worked on his picture.

"So are you telling me that you have never had any indecent thoughts or dreams about your lady friend Kagome?" Miroku asked him with a sly smile.

"Uh, well…that is I, okay, maybe I've had some thoughts, and it isn't my fault what I dream!" Inuyasha defended himself.

"Now that we have at least a little common ground, I think you and me will get along fine." Miroku announced.

Inuyasha decided that he should really try to be friends with Miroku, even with him being a pervert and all. "So, do you really ask every girl to bear your children as soon as you meet them?"

"Of course! I don't want to pursue a girl who would be anything less than serious about a relationship." Miroku told him.

"Less than serious about relationships? You really seem to fit that description! I'm surprised you managed to keep a chick friend for as long as you have!" Inuyasha said in an astonished tone.

Miroku looked from side to side as if to see if anyone was listening to their conversation and leaned in to say, "To let you in on a secret, so am I. I'm not sure how Sango is so patient with me, but she has always been my friend. And I'm going to win her heart eventually."

"So you like her?" Inuyasha asked.

"Of course! I've loved her since I first met her! And I've told her that! I'm always calling her darling and sweetheart, but she doesn't seem to take it seriously." Miroku said with a sigh.

"Gee, I wonder why that would be?" Inuyasha said in a small voice to himself.

Later, after their fourth hour History lesson and lunch, Sango and Kagome had cooking. Their teacher's name was Totosai and he was some sort of demon. Sango wasn't positive what kind, but only a demon can breathe flames to boil water more quickly.

Inuyasha was sitting in his Algebra class bored out of his skull. Their teacher, Ms. Kanna, spoke in a soft monotone and made the class that much worse. Inuyasha didn't think anyone could make Math more boring, so he was shocked to find that they could.

In Computer Applications, after they had finished their typing lessons for the day, Sango, Kagome, Inuyasha, and Miroku had started to chat. Sango was almost at good at chatting as she was at note passing.

"Hey, Inuyasha. You want to come over to my house and play video games this weekend? I'm inviting Sango and Kagome to come and watch." Miroku messaged Inuyasha.

"Sure, but prepare to be beaten. I've been playing video games my whole life!" Inuyasha sent back.

"I've been playing video games my whole life, and some of my previous ones as well!" Miroku sent.

Inuyasha had forgotten that Miroku was a Buddhist. So he sent, "Tell me when exactly, I need directions to your house."

Okay, first day done! Hope it was worth the wait. It was eight pages long on my Microsoft Word. Crap! I stopped looking at my computer for one sec and Word closes on me. Thank God I saved everything! Well, I always encourage you to read and tell me what you thought. (BTW: I did most things in their highschool the way they do things in mine. It's really the only thing I can base their school on.)


	7. Chapter 7: Making a Big Scene

**Okay, I'll see where this chapter goes. And people who have asked, yes Kikyo will be in this story I am sorry to report. And (:gulp: Don't kill me!) she will be Inuyasha's girlfriend for a short time. :Dodges hail of bullets: He only dates her to make Kagome jealous! And the title of this is Growing Up and we all make mistakes when we grow up. We all know Kikyo was a big mistake, ne?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I said it once and I won't say it again.**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up. Probably won't though.**

* * *

Kagome's first week at highschool went by fairly quickly. On she Saturday, she would go to Miroku's house to watch him and Inuyasha play video games. But tonight was Friday, and Sango would be spending the night at her house. What could spoil her good mood? 

An ominous ring of the phone answered her question. "Hello, Higurashi residence, Kagome speaking." she said as she answered.

It was Inuyasha. "Kagome, for Pete's sake, help me!" There was a squirming and wrestling for the phone before he added, "Can I come to your house? Please, it's an emergency! I don't know what to do!"

There was an odd squealing on the other end, and Kagome was pretty sure it wasn't Inuyasha. Whoever was with him was meeting the end of his fist pretty bad, she could tell. "Okay, but Sango's coming over tonight, so don't make a big scene."

"Thanks Kagome I-Don't you dare! I'll kill you! Don't you press that-" Inuyasha screamed to someone before the line went dead.

Kagome held the phone away from her ear as it started to beep loudly. She raised one eyebrow and wondered what was going on. Inuyasha was obviously distressed. She shook her head and supposed she would find out when he got here.

There was a knock on the door. She went to open the door and there stood Sango. "I thought I was at the right shrine, but I wasn't positive." she said with a laugh.

"Come in, I was thinking we would watch movies or something. I've got some scary ones." Kagome warned her.

They walked into the living room and sat down. Kagome's mom walked through, looking frantic.

"Oh, Kagome. I'm going out of town for a while. I'm supposed to do a special article on the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. I've left you money for food and an emergency credit card on the desk in your room. Sota can not be left home alone. If you want to go to your new friend's house tomorrow, take him along. And bring your cell phone with you at all times when you aren't in school. Call my cell phone before you use the emergency credit card, okay?" she asked as she rushed around, making her final preparations.

"Um, okay. Let me guess, you aren't sure how long you'll be gone?" Kagome surmised.

"No. You know me and my work all too well Kagome dear." her mom told her as she smiled.

"Yup. Call ahead so I can get all the wild partiers out of the house before you get home." Kagome requested.

"Of course." her mom replied, knowing that Kagome was kidding.

"See you later Mom!" Kagome said with a wave as her mom rushed out the door.

"Wild parties huh?" Sango asked with a grin.

"Yeah, on the weekends I get drunk and party it up, didn't you know?" Kagome asked with mock surprise.

"Well, I didn't _know_, but I could tell. Now I have a drinking buddy! Joy!" Sango said, getting into their banter.

"Yep, and I have the perfect stuff for tonight!" Kagome said going to the fridge.

"Whoa, are you serious?" Sango asked with wide eyes.

"Uh-huh. I have…Mountain Dew!" Kagome cried, holding a twelve pack over her head in triumph.

"Well, if that's are drink of choice tonight, then I should warn you about my drinking problem." Sango said with a serious look on her face.

"It's okay Sango. We all have a drinking problem when it comes to Mountain Dew." Kagome assured her with a pat on the back.

Suddenly it sounded like a brawl was happening outside. "That must be Inuyasha. I wonder what happened to make him so upset." Kagome wondered.

* * *

Earlier at Inuyasha's house… 

Inuyasha was sitting on his bed, thinking about all that had happened that week. For instance, the staring problem of the humans…and his own staring problem.

'Well, Kagome is attractive enough. So I guess it's normal for me to stare.' he thought.

"So I just need to try and stare at her a little bit less." he decided, pleased that he had figured it out.

"Oh, you're staring at her now? Do we need to give the little boy a talk about the demons and the bees?" Sesshomaru asked, coming in Inuyasha's door.

"I've known about mating for a while, and it has absolutely nothing to do with her." Inuyasha informed him in a haughty tone.

"Both you and I know that you like Kagome." Sesshomaru said with a self-assured smirk.

"Shut up! What are you doing in my room anyway you jackass?" Inuyasha demanded, barely managing to keep a blush from his cheeks.

"Father wants to see us in his study. Apparently something bad has happened." Sesshomaru informed him.

"Oh. Okay." Inuyasha said. He wondered what had happened that his dad would want to talk to him and Sesshomaru. He would never say it, but he loved his dad, and he hoped it wasn't about some terminal disease his father had. Ever since he lost his mom, his dad was the only family he had that he actually liked.

They walked to the study together, as much as neither of them wanted to. When they got there, their father was sitting in his chair behind his desk. "I wanted to talk to you about a very serious matter." he told them.

"What is it Father?" Sesshomaru asked.

"One of my business partner has died along with his wife. Well, I should actually say murdered, although we can't prove anything. But anyway, his son is now an orphan. So I adopted him before anything could happen to him as well. Inuyasha, he's very close to your age, so I'm leaving up to you to protect him and watch over him. Also, I believe it was the Thunder Brothers who killed his parents while they were under his father's orders." Inuyasha's father told him.

"So, what's the runt's name?" Inuyasha asked grudgingly.

"Shippo. Inuyasha, his room will be right next to yours. He'll be here any second, and I want no insensitive or awkward questions about his parents or any of this." their father told them.

"Yes sir." the brothers replied in unison.

As if on cue, there was a knock on the study door. "Come in." Inuyasha's father called.

A little kitsune came walking in the door. He walked up between Inuyasha and Sesshomaru and said to their father, "Thank you for letting me stay with you."

"No problem at all. Inuyasha will show you where your room is. Ask him if you need to know where anything is or if you can't get something." Their father told Shippo.

"Okay." Shippo replied with a bow to Inuyasha's father before skipping off to follow Inuyasha.

"My room's right next to yours, but you should be able to take care of yourself right?" Inuyasha asked skeptically.

"Of course. I am in the eighth grade. What do you think I am, a kid?" Shippo replied with a bit of a resentful tone in his voice.

Luckily, before Inuyasha could reply with what he was thinking, they were outside Shippo's room.

"So this is my room, huh." Shippo said more than asked.

"Yup. And don't make a lot of noise doing little kid stuff, I have things to do." Inuyasha warned him.

"Hey! I told you, I'm not a kid! I'm not, I'm not, I'm not!" Shippo insisted, banging his hands on Inuyasha's chest.

"Oh, so what you're doing right now isn't at all childish, is it?" Inuyasha said with a smirk. He held Shippo at arm's length and stuck his tongue out.

"Hey, you're sticking out your tongue! How mature is that, huh?" Shippo challenged. He put a leaf on his head and transformed into a kitten. He then proceeded to scratch and bite Inuyasha.

"Holy crap! Screw this!" Inuyasha shouted, running into his room.

Kitten Shippo followed right behind. He transformed back into regular Shippo and grabbed a picture off Inuyasha's desk. "Who is this, your _girlfriend_?" he asked tauntingly. It was a fairly recent picture of Inuyasha and Kagome.

"No, she was my first and only friend of almost my entire life." Inuyasha spat back. Shippo had obviously hit a sensitive spot. Almost as if to prove that point, Inuyasha started to attack Shippo in a not so gentle way.

Shippo responded by attacking back just as fiercely. It resulted in a struggle. They bumped into Inuyasha's nightstand and knocked the phone off of its cradle. Seeing this, Inuyasha picked up the receiver and dialed Kagome's number.

"Hello, Higurashi residence, Kagome speaking." Kagome answered.

Kagome, for Pete's sake, help me!" Shippo tried to grab the reciever so he had to wrestle it back before he said, "Can I come to your house? Please, it's an emergency! I don't know what to do!"

Shippo squealed when Inuyasha dealt him a rough blow. "Okay, but Sango's coming over tonight, so don't make a big scene." she replied, sounding inquisitive.

"Thanks Kagome I-Don't you dare! I'll kill you! Don't you press that-" Inuyasha screamed to Shippo as he pressed the disconnect button, cutting off the call.

"Stop it! We're going to Kagome's house! She has a brother that's in eighth grade, so you have a chance to make a friend before you go to your new school." Inuyasha said, ending the struggle by standing up and going to his room door as he heard someone pass by.

It was Sesshomaru. He had his hand up as if he was about to knock when Inuyasha opened the door. "What's going on in there? Are you two playing nicely?" Sesshomaru asked in a belittling tone.

"Nevermind. Can I get a ride to Kagome's house? Her brother is going to go to the same school as the runt here. I figure he should make a friend before his first day." Inuyasha told him.

"I suppose. Just tell my future sister in law hello for me, will you?" Sesshomaru asked, pulling his car keys out of his pocket and twirling them expertly around his long graceful fingers.

Inuyasha just growled in reply. He just went into his room, pulled Shippo out of it, and dragged the kitsune behind him as he followed Sesshomaru to the garage.

Sesshomaru drove a sleek black car. They got in and Sesshomaru started to drive to Kagome's house. He could drive there in his sleep by now, after all the times he had dropped off or picked up Inuyasha or Kagome there.

Shippo leaned up next to Inuyasha's ear and asked, "Who is he anyway?"

Sesshomaru could hear him of course. "I'm Inuyasha's older brother Sesshomaru. You'll find that I'm a good deal more civilized than Inuyasha."

The rest of the drive was relatively silent. They pulled up outside of Kagome's house. Inuyasha opened his door and got out, but not before Sesshomaru reminded him, "Tell my sister in law I said hi."

Inuyasha growled in reply once again. Shippo for some reason thought that second was a good idea to add, "So I was right. She is your girlfriend and you plan to make her your mate."

Inuyasha looked like his head was going to explode due to his fury. "My whole family teases because she's my friend. And if you tell anything like that to Kagome, they won't be able to find even the biggest pieces of your body. Got that?"

"Got it. But you still like her." Shippo said, asking for trouble. Inuyasha lunged at him.

They started to wrestle, and Inuyasha dragged Shippo to the top of the stairs (making sure he hit his head on each step) and then they toppled over onto the ground again. Somehow, they ended up kicking and hitting each other right in front of Kagome's front door.

The door was opened almost hesitatingly, like the person behind it didn't really want to know what was going on. "Hello Inuyasha. Remember how you said you wouldn't make a big scene?" Kagome asked him.

**

* * *

Well, another chappie done. Seven pages on Microsoft Word, so I hope it's long enough for you. Next chapter is in the making still, and it might take a little while. I'm toying around with what Shippo and Sota are going to do, so bear with me. Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated. Until next time, bye!**

**Extra Disclaimer: I don't own Mountain Dew. Okay, I'm chugging a can right now, but I don't own the copyright.**

**P.S. With the disclaimer, it started an 8th page! Hooray!**


	8. Chapter 8: A Friend in Need

**After a review, I've decided that Inuyasha won't have Kikyo as a girlfriend, but he will take her to the movies (coughtoplaystalkerandfollowKagomeonherdate). He needs an excuse for being seen at a chic flick. But you'll see. So don't freak out, it's an InuxKag fic, promise. Also, sorry for the long time without updates. My computer died and we had to play computer doctor and bring it back to life. So I couldn't update because I couldn't get to the saved chapter. All is better in the world now. Thanks to people who went through listings and reviewed though it was probably far back!**

**Summary: AU Kagome and Inuyasha meet each other much earlier on in life. Try, first grade? Yeah. They grow up together, and they inevitably change. InuXKag, MiroXSan, RinXSess, ShippoXSouten. Rating for safety and it may go up. Probably won't though.**

* * *

"Yeah, I know I promised not to make a big scene, but it's really all this twerp's fault." Inuyasha insisted, flicking Shippo in the forehead. 

"Well, come in and introduce your new friend." Kagome said, ushering them in the door and closing it behind them.

"Actually, he's my new little brother." Inuyasha admitted, sounding unsure of how approach the topic. His father said not to bring up anything painful about Shippo's parents.

"Oh, you adopted! How wonderful! What's your name?" Kagome asked the kitsune in non-patronizing voice.

"Shippo. Who are you?" he wondered.

"I'm Kagome, Inuyasha's friend." she told him sweetly.

"Oh, you mean the one he wants to-" Shippo was cut off as Inuyasha clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Inuyasha, what did he want to say?" Kagome inquired curiously.

"Um…that I want to…tell you…how much I _hate_ my new little brother." Inuyasha spat the last part at Shippo with a bonus glare.

Kagome raised an eyebrow questioningly at him. "Somehow, I don't believe you. Oh well."

Sango, who had been listening from the couch, was holding a Mountain Dew and looking in a terrified way at the screen. The horror movie they had been watching was on pause at a very suspenseful part. Sango looked kind of scary overexcited and was moving quickly in a twitchy way. Now she shouted, "Inuyasha, help! The dreaded beast banana from Mount Death is coming to kill us all!"

Kagome smiled innocently. Inuyasha now noticed that Kagome seemed kind of hyper once she returned to the couch and picked up her own can of Mountain Dew. Inuyasha frowned. "Kagome, have you been feeding your addiction?" he asked in a reprimanding tone.

"No!" Kagome told him defensively, holding her can closer. She looked like a crazed animal, who, if cornered, would lose the ability to discern friend from foe.

"Inuyasha? What's going on here?" Shippo wondered in a nervous voice, and he subconsciously stepped closer to Inuyasha.

"Kagome has a problem with Mountain Dew. She almost got me hooked on it the first time I spent the night here." Inuyasha informed him.

Shippo had an impressed look on his face. "Whoa, you slept with her already?"

Inuyasha bashed him particularly hard on the head. "No you baka! Are you sure you're in the eighth grade? You're about as hentai as Miroku is! We were six and we slept in separate sleeping bags on the floor!"

"Oh. So what's with the Mountain Dew thing again?" Shippo asked.

"Kagome will drink so much Mountain Dew that she won't get any sleep and she's like a walking zombie the next day (AN: Too true, I know this from personal experience). I thought she kicked the habit but apparently it has come back with a vengeance." Inuyasha stated sadly.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Shippo asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You don't have to do anything. You can hang out with Sota while I try to get her to stop. Hey Sota!" he called, making Shippo jump and making Kagome and Sango leap a foot into the air with their caffeine jitters.

"Hey Inuyasha I-oh sis, not again!" Sota cried tragically. He had just appeared at the top of the stairs. "Inuyasha, you have to do something before we lose her for good!"

"I'm on it. You, meanwhile, can get to know my new little brother Shippo. I'll take care of Kagome, so don't worry." Inuyasha assured him.

"I know. C'mon Shippo! We can play some video games." Sota told the little kitsune as he climbed up the stairs. Shippo and Sota disappeared and Inuyasha heard a door close.

Inuyasha turned to the task at hand. Sango and Kagome were bouncing nervously in their seats and the horror movie was playing again. Shrieks of terror and the sound of gushing blood were coming out of the TV, and Inuyasha decided that had to be one of the first things to go. He took the remote from Kagome and hit the power button.

There were groans and outraged noises from both girls. "Watcha do that for Inuyasha!" Kagome demanded. She pouted childishly, and she also seemed to sound a lot younger too.

"Well, I did it because…um…" Inuyasha stalled and tried to think of something they played when they were kids that used to wear Kagome out. "It's time to play jump rope!"

"Jump rope, yay!" Kagome and Sango shouted simultaneously. They ran to find a jump rope. Inuyasha sweat dropped in a relieved way. He had really dodged a bullet. For a second there, he had thought they were going to turn on him.

Kagome and Sango had successfully ended their search for a jump rope. They must have because they were giggling and pulling Inuyasha out the door and onto the shrine grounds. Kagome threw one end of the rope to Inuyasha and the other to Sango. She stood in between them and they started to twirl the rope. They kept going faster to the point that Kagome was panting. Inuyasha could see the drops of sweat on her face and hear her heart racing from the exertion. She tripped.

"My turn!" Sango cheered. Kagome took the handle gratefully, as she was tired and starting to return to her normal self.

Sango wasn't jumping too long before they heard a sickening crash. They all looked towards the steps of the shrine and saw Miroku face first on the sidewalk, with his legs in the air and his bicycle had crashed into a garbage can. Suddenly he zoomed to the top of the steps and tried to act casual.

"So, mind if I watch you play jump rope?" he asked in an all too innocent tone.

"Um, I guess not. But why would you…" Kagome trailed off. She had gotten off of her caffeine high thanks to Inuyasha's ingenious idea to play jump rope. Now she was thinking. Why would Miroku want to watch them play jump rope? Kagome _knew_ there were ulterior motives at work here. But why… "Miroku you hentai!" Kagome shouted, slapping him.

"How is jump rope hentai?" Miroku asked defensively.

"Because to play it, a girl has to _bounce_." Kagome replied, emphasizing the last word.

Inuyasha looked angry. "Pervert! We're not playing anymore jump rope!" He threw the jump rope over his shoulders. Having used too much "enthusiasm" (aka rage), it landed up in the Goshinboku.

"Inuyasha! That was my jump rope!" Kagome told him indignantly.

"I can get it for you later." Inuyasha said dismissively.

"So I imagine this is the lovely Kagome's house since I don't think Inuyasha is pure and chaste enough to live at a shrine." Miroku surmised.

"Take that back! I have never done anything with anyone, so you take that back!" Inuyasha shouted, grabbing Miroku by his neck and lifting him, gasping, into the air.

Kagome looked alarmed, while Sango let out a dramatic gasp and then a giggle like it was all a joke, not being rid of her caffeine high.

In truth, Inuyasha didn't want Kagome to think any less of him. She had always prided herself on saving herself for the man she would marry, and Inuyasha had taken that to heart and made the decision that his first time would be with the one woman he was truly meant to be mated to.

"Miroku, Inuyasha is telling the truth. If he had been with anyone, he would have told me. We've been _best friends _for most of our lives." Kagome told him in a haughty tone.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome. 'She trusts me so…entirely.' This made him have thoughts about what he could do with that trust. Disgusted with himself, he shook his head suddenly in an attempt to rid the thoughts and images that had crept into his mind. The monk must be contagious.

It was getting late. What Miroku had been doing riding a bicycle at this hour of the night was unfathomable, but Kagome found herself not caring. She was just so tired! Everything felt unreal and her senses were greatly dulled. It was like walking through a haze or some fog. She quietly said Inuyasha's name before her legs gave out on her completely.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha shouted worriedly, running to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Well, maybe I really should be going." Miroku said thoughtfully. He walked down the shrine steps and waved goodbye without turning around.

Inuyasha held Kagome and pulled at Sango's hand to get her to come inside. Kagome had crashed so Inuyasha would stay and look after her and confiscate the Mountain Dew so Sango wouldn't bounce off the walls and deprive Kagome of her much needed rest.

** Well, there's the eighth chapter. Hope you liked it. Actually, I really hope it made up for the long delay in updating. I've gotten another story idea. --' So there may be a slowing even more in updates. Summer is ending soon and school is on the horizon! I'm disappointed yet excited. So confusing. Tell me what you thought!**


	9. Chapter 9: Coming Down

**Sorry for the delay in updating. This is my worst one, and it's very disappointing to myself. I've been incredibly busy with school and after school activities and stuff. This will be what happened after Inuyasha brought Kagome in to the shrine to take care of her. I was considering just skipping to the video game war, but I decided to try and throw in a few touching moments. I don't have a lot of practice so you let me know how it turns out. Everyone loves a review! **

**It's summer now, I wrote that forever ago, and this chapter has been holding me up for almost a year it seems. I just finished sophomore year.**

**That was also forever ago. Junior now! I just finished my first semester exams and it's Christmas break! Hooray!**

**Now it's January and I still haven't posted. But it's done, so I'm about to.**

(-)

Inuyasha carried Kagome up the stairs and into her room. It had been a while since he had been in her actual room, and she had rearranged the furniture. He was extra thankful for his demonic vision so he didn't have to bother with flipping the light switch. He walked to where the bed was and gently laid her down on it. Taking off her shoes, he pulled the covers out from under her and covered her up.

He walked swiftly but silently out of the room softly whispering, "Good night Kagome."

Inuyasha closed the door behind him and walked down the stairs. When he reached the bottom, he was tackled by a very hyper Sango. Seeing that he was in a bad position with Sango lying on top of him, he tried to push her off, but she clung tightly to him.

"Inuyasha, the dreaded banana beast! He's coming to flay us alive for vengeance." Sango wailed. She was practically in tears.

He sat up and Sango sat in his lap, hugging him like she would die if she didn't. "There is no banana beast. Now be quiet before you-" he whispered until the phone ringing cut him off.

"Hello?" he said, picking up the receiver.

"Why haven't you called or come home yet?!?!" Sesshomaru demanded from the other end.

"I've been taking care of Kagome. She's been drinking Mountain Dew with Sango and now I have to watch both of them. I guess I'm staying the night here. Can you bring some clothes for me and Shippo?" Inuyasha asked.

There was silence for a few moments before… "I suppose. Have Shippo outside waiting for me, because I'm not getting out of the car."

"Fine. Bye." Inuyasha said. Sesshomaru merely made a thoughtful noise before hanging up.

"Was that the dreaded banana beast?!" Sango asked him, her voice quavering with fear.

"No. But get off of me Sango!" Inuyasha demanded with a hearty shove. She didn't budge. He eventually managed to pry himself out of her iron death grip, and climbed stealthily up the stairs so as not to wake Kagome. That plan encountered problems when Sango squealed in terror at the thought of being left alone and latched onto his arm while climbing the stairs behind him.

Inuyasha promptly shushed her and listened carefully outside Kagome's door for any changes in her breathing pattern. When he heard none, he let out an inaudible sigh of relief. He then continued down the hall to Sota's room. He opened the door to see Shippo and Sota hitting buttons at a frantic pace on their controllers.

"Hey Shippo, we're staying the night here. Sesshomaru is coming to bring us stuff. He said that you should wait for him by the curb because he didn't want to get out." Inuyasha said.

"Fine. Could you pause it for a while Sota?" Shippo requested.

"Sure. I'll wait outside with you, I want to say hi to Sesshomaru." Sota said, pausing and following Shippo out of the room.

"Watch out for-" Inuyasha tried to warn them before he heard a series of thuds that sounded like someone had been tackled and had fallen down the stairs. "Sango."

He walked out onto the landing. Shippo was at the bottom of the stairs underneath Sango, looking dazed. She was blabbering on about the dreaded banana beast and how it was coming to flay her alive and steal her soul.

"Oh little fox, can't you save me?!" she cried, squeezing Shippo.

"Not really." Shippo said in a restrained voice.

Sota was already coming to Shippo's rescue. He pulled Shippo out of Sango's grasp and they ran together out the front door. Quickly, before Sango could grab him, Inuyasha said to her, "Hey Sango, let's play a game called 'Run Circles Around the Shrine Until You Want to Sleep'!"

"Yay, that sounds fun!" Sango said happily, running out the door to do just that. Inuyasha collapsed, exhausted from dealing with the two Mountain Dew junkies.

Later, when Sota and Shippo had changed into their pajamas and gone to bed, and Sango had worn herself out and crashed on the floor of Kagome's room, Inuyasha lay on the couch thinking about highschool. In grade school, you were with the same people for eight years, so you were used to each other and there weren't many crushes. In highschool, all the grade schools came together and you met new people, and feeling sometimes start to develop.

Problem was, lots of boys seem to have developed feelings for Kagome. And they didn't seem to understand that Inuyasha didn't want them anywhere near her. And he didn't understand these new feelings he had for her. He had always known that she was attractive, it had just never really been important to him. She was his Kagome, she could be mutilated and she'd still be his best friend.

And while he was on the subject…he could hear Kagome coming down the stairs and could smell her coming nearer. "Inuyasha? Thanks for helping me."

He sat up on the couch and moved over so she could sit beside him. "No problem. What are best friends for?"

She sat down beside him and lay her head on his lap. "For being the greatest thing ever apparently." she said as she looked at him sleepily.

"You're still coming down from your high. You don't know what you're saying." Inuyasha insisted.

"Am not!" Kagome protested in a shout-whisper.

"But honestly, what were you thinking?! Mountain Dew and horror films?!" Inuyasha chastised.

"I was thinking it would be fun. And it was." Kagome said, looking up at him from his lap defiantly.

"Fine. Just go to sleep. We're going to Miroku's tomorrow. I'll beat him." Inuyasha added with a maniacal glint in his eye.

"How fun." Kagome said with a yawn.

"Hey, you can't sleep in my lap!" Inuyasha protested.

"Deal with it." Kagome said, turning on her side and resting the back of her head on his stomach. It wasn't too soft. "You're all muscley now Inuyasha."

"Yeah, demon. Or at least half-demon." Inuyasha corrected himself.

"Wouldn't want to feel Sesshomaru's stomach." Kagome said, yawning once more.

"Go to sleep. I'll just sleep sitting up I guess." Inuyasha said with a sigh.

"Goodnight Inuyasha." Kagome said, giving in to her sleepiness.

"Goodnight Kagome." Inuyasha said tenderly.

(-)

**Dun dun da dun! I've finished. At last! Updates might still be slow, but I think I'm getting there.**


End file.
